I try not to read any comments or reviews or traps about the episode before I write my review so as not to be influenced or affected by other people's reactions. I did, however, come across some posts online about the episode and have noticed some negative backlash regarding some things. I guess I do understand where they're coming from, but I have to say I absolutely loved the episode and can easily rank it in my top five Scorpion episodes of all time.

THE CASE

First of all, the case. I don't think there has ever been a Scorpion case that has made me cry until this case. While on a school field trip, a classmate of Ralph’s goes missing. The boy, Daniel, has nonverbal autism, which makes Team Scorpion’s job even harder to track him down. And if that wasn’t enough, he also has a group of hired mercenaries trying to find him, after a mix-up which led to them taking his tablet and him ending up with theirs.

I won't say that I know much about nonverbal autism, and whether the show depicted the specific case respectfully or responsibly. I am in no position to do so as I do not have the professional knowledge or the personal experience. But what I do know is that I was affected by it. It touched me; the performances were amazing, and when a show can get me to tear up like that, I'd say they did a really good job.

RALPH

Ralph’s journey is always one that seems to take a back seat to the rest of the team, but in my opinion it is one of the most exciting. He’s very much like the other geniuses in the garage, but he’s also very different. He’s young, he’s still growing and building who he is, and he’s the version of them that they could have been if they had been surrounded by the right people and circumstances. His growth is the strongest and purest and even though we don’t get to witness it often, it remains the most powerful and touching.

Watching Ralph interact with Daniel in this episode was probably one of the most touching moments, as was the comment from Daniel’s mother about Ralph’s relationship with her son. Compare this Ralph — who also displayed a lot of sass in the scene with poor Tim — with Ralph from the pilot or even most of season one, and you’ll see just how far this young boy has come. The effect of being surrounded by the team, and the effect of having Paige as a mother — both these versions of role models, of people who care for him and about him, have given Ralph the absolute best of both worlds and allowed him to grow without denying who he is, what he can offer the world, and what the world can offer him.

I really hope we continue to see more of Ralph and his growth because it just perfectly sums up everything about the show, the heart of it, the soul of it, and the intellect.

WALTER

There wasn’t much focus on Walter this week, not after the very heavy Walter episodes we had the previous weeks. And yet there were a few moments that showed his slow growth and development. As ridiculous as the U Dog project is (and that scene was absolutely hilarious) it was a great thing to show Walter take on something lighter, something trivial. Even though he tried to sell it as a genuine project, I think it’s a good sign that he is not taking things as seriously. He is starting to realize that he is allowed to have some fun, that his exceptional intellect does not always need to be a burden to take on only big, serious projects, that he can take it easy and do things that are just... fun.

The other moment was his very heartfelt, yet unemotional, text of appreciation to his team. It shows just how important Paige’s presence is in his life, even without the romantic element there. He still has so much to learn — and such a long journey — and she is there to guide him along the way. This part of their relationship will always be my favorite. She doesn’t go easy on him when he slips up; she is straight with him, and yet she manages to get her message across in a way that he will understand — and more importantly, in a way that will impact him and push him to make another breakthrough.

I didn’t like how he tried to piggyback on Daniel’s message in the end, but again, it just shows how Walter is learning to read the world around him. He did realize that his admission hadn’t been adequate enough, and while his method wasn’t that great, at least it was a learning experience for him.

CABE

I love Cabe, because he’s just the ultimate Papa Bear. And even though this mostly shows in his relationship with Walter, I think it’s strong with every other member of the team. And I’ve always especially loved what he has with Happy because in certain ways, she is very much like Walter, but she also has shared with Cabe a lot of moments where it’s been light friendly banter. But he’s always there, paying attention to the needs and worries of these geniuses even before they notice them themselves.

Cabe was the first (and only one) to notice there was something going on with Happy, just as a caring observant parent would, and it didn’t take him long to pick up on what exactly it was. The thematic references to parenting and family were obviously very strong and obvious in this episode, given the case, but it is in these smaller and more subtle parallels where the beauty and the delicacy of this show sometimes lies.

HAPPY/QUINTIS

I understand people's frustration but that is not how I saw it. Happy is an orphan. From a broken home. Her loyalty to Walter vs. her love for her child. This growth — this is Happy putting emotions before the greater good/the logical thing to do. Does it mean she doesn't love Toby enough? No I don't think so. It's just that logically, it made sense to protect Walter and still be in a relationship with Toby but now it doesn't anymore. Her family (and that includes Toby and the child) are more important than protecting Walter. Her love for Toby didn't decrease or increase and it isn't because she is pregnant. It is because she wants to protect her child from what she went through. That is her biggest fear.

The way I see it, Happy wants to marry Toby no matter what. She wants that more than anything. It would be perfect. But she was willing to sacrifice her happiness, her perfect ideal for a friend and just for a short while. Now, she is not willing to sacrifice this perfect ideal for her child. For her own happiness she was willing to make this sacrifice (and she knew Toby would understand) but for her child, for their family, she will not. She will not force her unborn child to make a sacrifice on her behalf. To make sure her child gets everything — all the things she never had — she is willing to sacrifice her loyalty to Walter.

In the beginning of the episode, Happy asks Paige if spending time with their kids is something that parents do. Happy never had that, she never had any of the things that parents and children have, and what she wants is for her child not only to have this, but to have every single thing that she has to offer them. And that includes having her, and their father, and a home, and everything else that comes with it. I don’t see how her actions are anything but an expression of true love, unabashed and pure. And if this is what was needed to happen to push her to fully embrace her love for Toby, then it’s all a blessing in every way.